Good Karma Meatloaf Pie with Dill Mashed Potato Crust

I'll just say it. If you like comfort food you're gonna love this meatloaf pie recipe with a mashed gold potato crust. It's simple, hearty comfort food. Because I'm a home-style cook. I'm no chef. I know my way around a kitchen but eviscerating a chicken? I'll pass. And I've never been attracted to truffles. I could care less about honing my knife skills. I chop slow and steady. Without fanfare.My soul is built for comfort not for speed.

So it's no surprise I'm a rustic stew and roasted veggie gal at heart. I'm not entirely sorry to see the summer come to an end. The 100ºF days. The kitchen so hot you hesitate to ignite a single burner- never mind turn on the oven. Enough, already! Knowing the fall equinox is just around the corner is fine with me. I welcome the cooler evenings, the gentler sun. Fall is eye candy gorgeous here in northern New Mexico- the perfect balance of honeyed sunlight and clear-as-a-bell cobalt skies, the quaking aspens and golden cottonwoods. The aroma of roasting green chiles. It's intoxicating.

And it's enough to brighten any comfort-food-loving mama's spirits. We get to turn our ovens back on again- and roast and bake to our heart's content.

Ironically- you remember irony, don't you?- the best protein for me now (once a vegetarian goddess) is animal sourced. At first I was resistant to include meat in my diet, clinging stubbornly to my life-long belief that the vegetable kingdom- along with some happy dancing-in-the-barnyard hens and generous brown-eyed moo cows and goats- could sustain me well. I was tickled pink to live for years on end (three decades) as an ovo-lacto vegetarian sometimes vegan. But after my celiac diagnosis, and additional digestive revelations- not to mention, broken hip- it appears my karma has a wicked sense of humor.

Veganism? Dream on. It just ain't gonna work. For the sake of my health and bones, I must officially join the ranks of the flexitarians. At least I'm not alone. The peace loving Dalai Lama himself discovered he failed to thrive on a strict vegetarian diet as well. So he eats animal protein every other day. He likes to say- with his signature twinkle- he is vegetarian for half the year. I decided if he could live with that, Bubela, who am I to argue?

And so I made a meatloaf (a Maple-Apricot Glazed Meatloaf, in fact). And with the leftovers, I made- you guessed it! Meatloaf pie. Vegans and vegetarians- don't be blue- try my totally veggie Shepherd's Pie recipe- it's just as good.

Dill smashed potatoes top this easy pie.

Good Karma Meatloaf Pie Recipe

What to do with leftover turkey meatloaf or hamburgers? Make a pie, Darling. Sometimes I put together a single pie in my favorite clay casserole dish. But last night I divided up the filling and made two individual pies with a mashed gold potato crust.

Ingredients:Leftover meatloaf- enough for two servings1/2 cup roasted corn kernels- or baby peas6-8 little grape tomatoes, halved1/2 cup cooked carrot pieces
A splash of broth mixed with a touch of ketchup, to moisten
About two cups of cooked potatoes- or non-mayo potato salad (I used mashed gold potatoes with dill)Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper, to tasteDill or parsley for the topInstructions:Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Use a fork to break apart the leftover meatloaf. Add the corn, tomatoes and carrots; mix to combine. Add enough broth and ketchup to moisten the mixture. Season to taste. Add a touch more ketchup or gluten-free Worcestershire sauce- especially if it is dry. Mix and spoon into a casserole dish or individual gratin dishes.

Top with cooked potatoes, mashed potatoes, or even vinegar potato salad. Sprinkle with dill, sea salt and pepper.

Bake until heated through and bubbling- about 30 to 35 minutes or so (depending upon how cold the leftovers were when you assembled your pie).

Serve with a crisp green salad.

Serves two.

Karina's Notes:

If you like a spicy meatloaf pie use your favorite salsa to moisten the filling and add some chopped jalapenos.